Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Kill the Messenger Review

Despite a great leading performance from Jeremy Renner and a relatively untold true story, Kill the Messenger is a bit of a missed opportunity.

Blu-Ray Round-Up: 2/10/14

We FINALLY start digging ourselves out of the backlog of DVDs and Blu-Rays we received over the past month with the first of two special home entertainment columns this week. Today we look at the hilarious Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, the intense Captain Phillips, the Adam Scott comedy A.C.O.D., Kuosawa's classic Throne of Blood on Criterion, and Dylan McDermott trapped in a Freezer.

The Spectacular Now Review

James Ponsoldt's The Spectacular Now is the most authentic depiction of what it means to be a teenager since Cameron Crowe's landmark Say Anything. It's so adept at conveying youthful awkwardness, petulance, and regret, and how every moment in a teenagers life could signify the end of their comfortable world that it could practically incite post traumatic stress memories in those who watch it. The aching and longing at the heart of this bracing work is the kind that informs the rest of a young person's life for better or worse, and it's all done entirely free of cliche or artifice.

Contest: Win SMASHED on DVD!

It’s spring cleaning time! Okay, maybe we should have done this last month, but we have a ton of great stuff courtesy of the great folks at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to give away on DVD. Enter for a chance to win one of five copies of SMASHED on DVD. Kate (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and […]

This Week in DVD: 3/12/13

This week brings out some heavy hitters at the video store including Life of Pi, The Master, Hitchcock, Smashed, Playing for Keeps, This Must be the Place, and A Late Quartet.

Interview: Roman Coppola

We talk to A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III writer and director and current Academy Award nominee Roman Coppola about creating his latest trippy, mind bending comedy, working with Liam Hayes on the film's groovy soundtrack, subliminal messages in advertising, working with Charlie Sheen and Bill Murray, and why he likes coming back to the same kinds of characters.

Smashed Review

It might not be the most original addiction narrative ever created, but James Ponsoldt's Smashed succeeds thanks to some painful moments of intimacy, dark humour, and excellent performances.

TIFF 2012 Reviews: Part 5

Since we don't get days off on weeks like this, here's part five of our TIFF 2012 coverage with looks at The Place Beyond the Pines, Seven Psychopaths, Hotel Transylvania, A Royal Affair, Thermae Romae, Smashed, Rebelle, and Laurence Anyways.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Review

Action packed, utterly hilarious, and sure to be divisive, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter balances thrills, outright silliness, and ludicrous revisionist history to create an experience where you'll either get the joke or you won't.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Fan Review

Thus far this month Dork Shelf has featured several reviews of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World–you can check them out here. And here. These are excellent reviews, from the non-biased perspectives of writers who were not steeped in the books before watching the movie. This review is the opposite of that. I’ve been reading, collecting, […]

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Review

I won’t lie, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World was practically made for this site. It’s a film adaptation of a video game inspired comic book that is not only set in Toronto, but was filmed here too. We cut our teeth covering various aspects of the film’s casting and production. So—despite the fact I’ve only […]

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Toronto Premiere Interviews

Last week the Dork Shelf crew hit the red carpet at the Winter Garden for the Toronto premiere of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. There we had a chance to talk with director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz), Scott Pilgrim creator Bryan Lee O’Malley and the cast, including Jason Schwartzman, Mary Elizabeth […]

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Review

Fantasia 2010 Review Last night I dared to say on Twitter that, after seeing Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, director Edgar Wright is on his way to gaining status as an auteur. This sparked a lively debate among friends on whether this was true, or even what the definition is of an auteur. To my […]

Scott Pilgrim International Trailer

The full length international trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World recently hit the net. This trailer, which is a vast improvement on the domestic one released last month, gives us a much clearer picture of the tone that Edgar Wright’s comic book adaptation is trying to strike. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is based […]